LUDLOW, Ky. — The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Duke Energy and Blue North, are empowering small minority, women and veteran business owners through grants.

What You Need To Know

  • The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Duke Energy and Blue North are providing grants to small businesses

  • Both Duke Energy and Blue North provided $25,000 to support the program

  • Each grant ranges from $1,000 to$10,000

  • Eight business owners were awarded money this year, one being Lori Wall, owner of Spanish on the Fly

Spanish instructor and grant recipient, Lori Wall is using the fund to take her small business to the next level.

Wall owns Spanish on the Fly, a course designed for adults who want to learn Spanish.

She was a Spanish teacher in Kentucky schools for 10 years and began teaching private lessons to city leaders and knew she had discovered her passion.

“It just kind of struck a chord with me that I knew that there was an important business that could be associated with this,” Wall said.

After operating out of her home for nearly 20 years, Wall knew if she wanted her business to grow, she’d need a space to call her own.

“I needed to rent spots for two hours at a time and it was just really hard to find places, consistently to hold classes,” she shared as she reflected on some of her previous challenges.

While the business is doing well, Wall said there are ways to improve and thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce now she can.

“The leap that I took with getting this studio was not knowing if there were going to be enough people that I could afford to keep the studio. And so, the grant from the chamber will really help,” she said.

Director of Inclusive Business Strategies at the Chamber Dashai Thompson noted that the grant is part of a broad initiative by the Chamber, Duke Energy Foundation and Blue North’s Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurship Fund to uplift minority, women and veteran entrepreneurs.

“In northern Kentucky alone, there are a large number of small businesses, and among those small businesses are actually minority-owned businesses,” Thompson said. “So having a resource like this for those businesses not only helps with their sustainability but also it creates tools and access and resources for them. So, then their companies can thrive,” she continued.

The Duke Energy Foundation and Blue North’s Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurship Fund each provided $25,000 to support the program, which awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

For Wall, the grant means her center can survive as a welcoming space for those who want to immerse themselves in different cultures and her students couldn’t be happier.

“There’s, like, 500 million people in this world that speak Spanish,” said longtime student Mike Bell. “It gives you an opportunity to be able to meet one of those five million people who could be your best friend, you know, for life.”

Wall agrees, saying she strives to bring people together.

“My business is definitely set up to help the community bridge the gap between Spanish speakers. English speakers,” Wall said.

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